Clamping device



Aug. 21,1945. E, L. JACOE; 2,383,435'

' I CLAMPING DEV-ICE i Filed .Jung 28, 194:5

7 INVENToR 1135 LJaCob TTRNEY 'mmmunmmm Patented Aug. 21, 1945 oLAMPlNG DEVICE Ellis L. Jacob, Moylan-Rose Valley, Pa., assigner to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Application June 2s, 1943, serial No. 492,535

v 'l Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in clamping devices, particularly as applied to'the closing of doors of the type employed in bulkheads which are adapted for sealing under pressure.

Among the objects of the invention are contemplated the following provisions: To provide clamping mechanism employing parts of simplied structure; to provide a mechanism requiring a minimum number of parts; to'provide a clamping unit which is self-binding on parts which are removable and replaceable; to provide a clamping structure which is readily adaptable to varied forms of connection `and attachment. Various other objects relating to details of construction will be apparent on consideration of the following description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a bulkhead door with a section of the wing panel removed for inspection of the linkage;

Figure 3 is a detail section ofa dog unit positioned at the corner of the 3-3 of Figure 1; i

Figure 4 is a detail showing the spline connection of the pivot arm and pivot pin of one of the dog units; v

Figure l5 is a perspective of one of the pivot arms; l I 4 Figure 6 is an assembly of a four-plate section of a corner dog unit illustrating a modified form of pivot plate; and

Figure '7 is a perspective of the modied pivot plate of Figure 6.

In my Patent No. 2,216,012, dated September 24, 1940, there is described a door construction similar in many respects to the disclosure of Figure 1 of this application but differing in the important respect that the dog unit employed in the mechanism for locking the door in closed position includes a casting which is exceptionally difficult to manufacture and which, after manufacture, is subject to distortions and warping which may lessen the'effectiveness of the closing mechanism and in some cases cause break-down.

In accordance with my present invention, I

door taken along line contemplate the elimination of this difficult castexample a support IIl which may be a frame in door being generally indicated by the numeral I I. A reinforcing edge frame member I2 borders the periphery of the door opening, having a right angle edge ange I3, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, adapted to contact with a yieldable portion of the door I I to form a sealed contact therewith as will be more fully described hereinafter. The door structure includes an inner panel I4, an outer panel I5 and an edge attaching member I6. The member I6 is turned at its inner edge to form a flange I'I, whereby attachment may be made by spot Welding'or other means to the inner panel I4. The outer edge of the edge member I6 is flanged outwardly in a form roughly S- shaped so that the panel formed thereby is adapted to receive the yieldable material I8. This material is also supported in position by the angle plate I9 attached to the edge of door panel I5 and inwardly turned so as to' enclose an edge of the yieldable material I8. In closed position the flange I3 of the ydoor frame embeds itself in the yieldable material I8.

Interposed between the outer and inner panels I4 and I5 are a plurality of transverse panelled ribs 20 adapted for reinforcement of the door structure and for support of the various dog units for clamping the door in closed position. Also at the ends of the door, diagonal ribs 2| are employed for the support of the corner dog units.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawing, there is illustrated a dog unit such as is employed on the side of the door. This unit includes a pivot pin 22 formed in three sections, an upper section 23 cylindrical inform, a central section 24 axially splined, and a third section 25 cylindrical in shape, the upper section 23 having a larger diameter than the splined section 24. At its upper end, the pivot pin is extended in a transverse 4dog member 26, the end of which is camshaped for the purpose of engagement with a cam element 21 shown in section in Figures 2 and 3 and Secured by riveting or otherwise to the door frame I2. The other end of the pivot pin terminates in a screw threaded section 28 upon which a nut 29 is movable to secure the separable elements of the unit together.

The pivot pin 22 is supported within the door frame between the outer and inner panel plates I5 and I4 by means of a U-shaped yoke 30 of sufcient breadth at its top and bottom in the yoke arms 3l and 32 to permit formation of openings in which the pivot pin may have movement.

ported in the lower arm 32 of the yoke by a bearing ring 36 having its outer edge 31 outwardly turned to form a bearing surface for engagement by the nut 29. Surrounding the bearing ring 36 is a second ring 38 forming a liner in the opening of the lower yoke arm 32.

The splined section 24 is intended to receive the pivot arms 39 and such spacer elements as may be necessary. As shown in Figure 2, I employ two link arms of the type shown in perspective in Figure 5, each of these arms being made of a casting or forging or other fabrication of any desired metal, such as steel, which is enlarged to form heads 40 and 4I machined as shown to have a cylindrical aperture at one end and a splined aperture at the other end. These pivot arms are attached in the unit by placing the splined ends of the arms over the spline-d section 24 of the pivot pin. For the said dog units only two of these arms are necessary and they are placed adjacent the top of th-e splined section 24 with an intervening washer 42 and a second washer 43 positioned below the lower arm and in contact" with the inner edge of the bearing ring 36. Ihus it will be seen that when assembled, pressure is transmitted from cylindrical pivot pin section 23 to the nut 29 through the head of arm 39a, washer 42, head of arm 39h, washer 43 and sleeve 36 to the nut 29. This pressure relationship insures a compact and rigid assembly of the assembled parts without imparting a binding pressure between the dog and door panel or yoke 30. It also readily permits disassembly on release of the nut 29. Theyoke supporting the pivot pin 22 is fixed in position Within the door structure by arc welding preferably to the edge of an opening formed in the end of the rib 20 and the lower yoke arm 32.

End dog units as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing are, in general, dissimilar to the side i dog units, differing in the employment of four pivot arms 50 instead of the two pivot arms of the side units with the spacing washers. In the end .units no washers are employed, the splined heads of the arms being in contact with one another and forming together a unit under compression between the section 23 and the bearing ring 36, the nut 29 serving to bind the four pivot arms 5U into a unitary structure.

The pivot arms 39 of the side dog units and the arms 50 of the end units are connected by linkage, there being indicated in Figure 1 the end links 5| and the side links 52. By appropriate gear mechanism, not shown, power is applied to or forged or otherwise fabricated as an angle plate, the peak of the angle containing the splined aperture 6I from which the two arms 62 and 63 extend angularly to the pivot heads 64 and 65, in which the cylindrical pivot apertures are placed. When assembled as shown in Figure 6, the combined unit 60 is interposed between the pivot arms 66 and 61 on the splined section of the pivot shaft or pin 68. The splined head areas of the various arms are enlarged laterally in the direction of the axis of the pivot shaft so as to form the equivalent of an interposed spacer or washer so that the proper separation of the pivot arms is secured.

'Ihe outstanding feature of the clamping device as hereinabove described resides in its utllization of separable plates or pivot arms which may be madeseparate and then assembled into a rigid unit, which is the full equivalent of a casting with which these individual parts are integrally associated. Heretofore in the manufacture of clamping devices of this typeit has been necessary to employ bronze, or some similar substance, whi-ch is suitable for casting where the integral sections of the casting are of thin metal and closely spaced as is the case with the dog unit as used in the bulkhead door described. In this casting operation because of the thinness of the spacing, the pattern elements are fragile and, therefore, easily broken, and also because of the thinness of the pivot arms and the nature of the material used, warping and bending of the arms frequently resulted, making the whole door mech- .anism inoperative. By casting or forging or otherwise fabricating each arm separately, it is now possibleto utilize an alloy steel having a vmuch improved tensile strength over bronze, and further by utilizing my improved means of clamping the heads of the pivot anms in position, I insure a complete absence of warpage or binding and the assembly operates as a unit and has the full advantage of a single casting. It is apparent also that in the case of breakage or undue wear, it is possible readily to break down the dog unit and remove one or more pivot arms for any desired replacement. It should be understood also that while I have shown in Figures 6 and 7 a modification using a simplified and combined arm member, such modification is not usually employed, preference being given in the assembly of end units to the use of four separate pivot arms, as shown in Figure 5 of the drawing. Thus use may be made of single pivot arms for either the side or the end dogv units.

It is apparent that details of structure may be modified in accordance with the particular requirements of the door structure and, further, that the clamping device may be utilized for the closing of separable elements other than bulkhead doors, and, therefore, the invention should not be limited to the process and disclosure except insofar as required by the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

1. A clamping device comprising a clamping member, a pivot pin connected to one end of said clamping member, means for supporting said pivot pin, a plurality of pivot arms positioned separably in spaced planes in angular relation to said pin, and means for xedly securing said pivot arms to said pivot pin.

2. A clamping device adapted to be employed in conjunction with separable members for maintenance of the members in closed position which comprises a clamping member, a pivot pin connected to one end of the clamping member, said pivot pin including a splined section and a sectionadjoining vthe splined section, a plurality of separable pivot arms detachably mounted in spaced planes in angular relation to said pin on thesplined section of said pin, means for clamping the ends of the pivot arms against the adjoining section of the pivot pin, and means for supporting the pivot pin on one of said separable members.

` ing section.

4. In a clamping unit a frame, a U-shaped yoke supported by said lframe, a pivot pin extending between and through the arms of said yoke forming protruding ends, a clamping unit attached to one of said ends, a locking means attached to the other of said ends, and a plurality of separable pivot arms mounted in displaced planes along said pivot pin intermediate the arms of said yoke,

the heads of said arms at the point of attachment to the pivot pin being clamped against a, section of said pin by said locking means.

5. A bell crank structure adapted for use with l clamping mechanism comprising a pivot pin, a

V-shaped :bell crank having apex attachment means for the pivot pin, separable single arms secured to said pivot pin on either side of said V-shaped bell crank and in parallel relation tc.

the arms thereof.

6. A bell crank structure adapted for use with clamping mechanism comprising a pivot pin, a V-shaped bell crank having apex attachment means for the pivot pin, separable single arms secured to said pivot pin on either side of said vshaped bell crank and in parallel relation to the arlms thereof, and means for clamping together said single arms and V-shaped bell crank.

7. A clamping device comprising a clamping member, a pivot pin connected to one end of said clamping member, means for supporting said pivotl pin, a plurality of pivot arms positioned separably in spaced planes angularly related to said pin and means for i'lxedly securing said pivot arms to said pivot pin, said pivot arms extending from the pivot pin in angular relationship to each other.

ELLIS L. JACOB. 

